Five Questions: Tom Rinaldi

Tom Rinaldi, 62, is chair of the Town of Stillwater's Emergency Preparedness Committee. He is also a Stillwater Fire District commissioner, past chief and current Arvin Hart Fire Co. firefighter, president of the eight-county Capital Area Association of Fire Districts and Region 1 director of the state Association of Fire Districts. He currently works for Chazen Engineering, doing code enforcement for GlobalFoundries.

Q What prompted your love of firematics and emergency preparedness?

A My father, Lawrence, 95, is a charter member of Arvin Hart Fire Co. I started hanging around the firehouse at a very young age and rode along in his vehicle to calls. It just progressed. There are currently three generations of Rinaldis in the fire department -- my father, myself and Tom Jr. I have a degree in political science from Niagara University. Then I moved to Maryland, earned a degree in fire science technology from Montgomery College, and became a paid firefighter in Bethesda, Md.

Q When did you come back to Stillwater?

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A Family and job commitments brought me back home in 1984. I was able to bring a great deal of experience, training and knowledge about fire equipment to the Arvin Hart Fire Co. In Bethesda, we responded to 1,000 calls per year compared to 120 in Stillwater.

Q How prepared are we nationally and locally for emergency situations?

AWe have a long way to go. In the past decade, New York has dealt with the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, unprecedented flooding from Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee, and now the destruction caused by Hurricane Sandy. Everyone should have an emergency kit prepared ahead of time with a few days' supply of food, clothing and water, important insurance, medical and prescription drug records (with backup copies in a safe place) and a contact list of friends and relatives.

Q What else are you doing locally to promote emergency preparedness?

A The "3 C's" of emergency management are coordination, cooperation and communication. In Stillwater, we're developing a comprehensive formal plan. That includes getting the Community Center lined up to be a shelter. We're even going to have a pet shelter that animals can go to. I'm also contacting specific community groups who would have assigned tasks. For example, the VFW might be in charge of distributing food and water, Boy Scouts could keep shelters clean, a neighborhood group would be given a "phone tree" of people to call in an emergency.

Q Family?

A My wife, Linda, and I have three children, Jean, 34, a midwife who lives in Virginia, Tom Jr., 24, an Army National Guard specialist who just got back from Afghanistan, and Anthony, 21. We also have three grandchildren.